Area healthcare providers prepare for the next heart attack

QUINCY, Ill. - When the next heart attack strikes, caregivers of Blessing Hospital, McDonough District Hospital and LifeGuard ambulance in Macomb, and Air Evac stand ready. The teams recently drilled their heart attack response processes.

The drill focused on a “ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction,” also known as a STEMI. A STEMI is a life-threatening, time-sensitive cardiovascular emergency that occurs when a coronary artery becomes partially or completely blocked.

All heart attacks require care quickly because they kill heart muscle and heart muscle does not regenerate, leading to serious disability or death. It is estimated nearly 300,000 people a year suffer heart attacks. As many as 10 percent of those patients die.

Constantly searching for opportunities to save more lives

Staff of Blessing Hospital, the region’s nationally accredited Chest Pain Center, regularly drill with caregivers at hospitals and first responders in the region to improve STEMI response processes.

In addition to drills, a STEMI Review Team meets monthly to examine data from each STEMI case at Blessing. The team provides feedback to any and all caregivers involved in each case about what went well and opportunities for improvement.

Public help is needed

Prepared caregivers are only half of the heart attack survival equation. If a patient dies before reaching the hospital, or arrives after major damage has been done to their heart muscle, preparation can’t help.

That’s why caregivers preach calling 9-1-1 when experiencing heart attack symptoms.

“Calling 9-1-1 allows first responders to begin treatment, wherever the patient may be, without delay,” said Steven Krause, DO, Blessing Health cardiologist and medical director of the Blessing Heart & Vascular Center. “And, with information provided from the scene by first responders while they are in route to the hospital, hospital staff can be prepared to act immediately upon the patient’s arrival.”

Additionally, calling an ambulance makes the roads safer for all. A person experiencing chest pain cannot drive safely at the time, and a loved one driving someone with chest pain to the hospital is unable to respond if the patient’s condition worsens in route to the hospital.

Please share the message

Blessing’s Heart & Vascular Center tracks how people experiencing heart attack symptoms arrive at the hospital.

During the first three months of 2024, 77 percent of heart attack patients arrived at Blessing by ambulance, exceeding the goal of 60 percent. However, over the last three months, the number of patients arriving by ambulance dropped to 46 percent.

“No matter where someone is in the Tri-State area when heart attack symptoms strike, 9-1-1 should be called so care can be immediately provided,” said Jeffrey Cook, MD, cardiologist, and physician champion of Blessing Health’s Heart First Committee.

Signs of a heart attack

Heart attack symptoms vary from person to person. Not everyone experiences the sudden, crushing chest pain commonly depicted on television and in movies. In fact, symptoms may come and go for hours or even days.

Seek medical attention if you experience any of these heart attack signs:

• Chest pain
• Chest discomfort like a squeezing pressure, fullness or indigestion
• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweat
• Unexplained fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• Lightheadedness or dizziness

For more information on heart attack, including hands-only CPR, click here, or visit blessinghealth.org/HeartAttack.